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Taxidermists Terms to Know

Taxidermy is a unique and interesting profession that many pet owners and hunters require at some time or another. As you may know, taxidermists specialize in preparing, stuffing and mounting the skins of animals. You supply these experts with a dead deer, bear, fish, or bird, and he or she will prepare it to look lifelike. Special schooling is required for anyone who wants to learn taxidermy. While hunting often results in these mounted animals, some people choose to have their pets preserved as well. Here are a few useful terms to know about the subject.

Freeze Dry – This is a method of rapidly freezing something at very low temperatures in order to preserve it. Once frozen, the object is subjected to a high-powered vacuum tool that removes any ice by sublimation.

Fleshing – A process that involves removing all red meat from the deer, bear or other animal. A machine or scalpel is often utilized to do this. If a fish or bird is the subject, this meat must all be removed as well.

Salting – A specific table is often used to apply salt to the animal. This is done after the fleshing of the raccoon, wolf, or elk. This helps pull moisture off the animal and works like a dehydration process. It often takes around six weeks.

Skinning Gambrel – A frame with chains and hooks that are used to suspend a dead animal in the air. This allows a taxidermist to skin the animal. While there is no special schooling required to use a gambrel, there is a certain process that must be learned.

Tail Stripping Tool – A hand tool that enables you to strip the skin from an animal tail in one easy motion. Many hunting supply shops and taxidermy product dealers offer these devices.

Taxidermists are professionals who prepare, stuff, and mount animals of all kinds. Taxidermy is an art that has been around for several centuries. Although the first American book on this practice was published in the mid 1800s, other parts of the world have been embracing taxidermy for much longer. It is an art form that typically involves wildlife such as large fish, birds, deer, bears, tigers and other animals people kill while hunting.
Although some individuals prefer to bury their pets after they pass on, other people choose to have their cat or dog stuffed, preserved, and mounted. This may involve processes like tanning the hide, painting artificial eyes, and sewing the skin of the dead animal. Certain supplies are required for this task. Sometimes a taxidermist has to freeze dry specific parts like the skull, choose a certain size of glass eye, and use artificial teeth that are carved. This requires a certain level of schooling and training. Depending on the bear, bird, deer or fish involved, it takes a certain period of time for the lifelike animal to be sculpted properly. When a hunting trophy or pet is completed, it may resemble a mannequin or dummy to some degree.
Resort to the internet to learn a lot more about taxidermy and mounting wild animals. Although this is a unique process, there are a number of websites that can offer great details on this practice. If you have a specific animal in mind, try doing a little research on that species in particular.